2.3. Be ready to talk about the main periods of the Russian Customs development using the information given below.

10th century 1137 16th century 1653 1755 December 14, 1924 December 19, 1928 October 25, 1991 August 4, 1985

Customs Service in Kievan Rus First Customs House in Novgorod the appearance of the Customs Charter introduction of the Trade Statute First Customs Code Customs Statute of the USSR first Customs Code of the USSR Decree "On the State Customs Committee of the Russian Federation" Decree by the President of the Russian Federation setting October 25 as Russian Customs Officer's Day

2.4. Write an abstract of the text. See Grammar in Use section if necessary.

2.5. Read the text and translate it using the dictionary.

Text B

History of the u.S. Customs Service

The U.S. Customs Service has a long history. With ratification by the necessary number of states, the Constitution of the United States went into effect on March 4, 1789. A bit more than four months later, on July 31 of that year, the U.S. Customs Service started operating, among the very first of the federal agencies to come to life. It was given a life-and-death mission.

The young nation was then on the brink of bankruptcy. The first Congress and President Washington agreed that the collection of duties on imported goods was essential if the United States were to survive.

Only a few days after Customs drew its first breath, on August 5, 1789, the power of the service went from theory to reality when Captain James Weeks sailed his brigatine, Persis, into New York harbor with a miscellaneous cargo from Leghorn, Italy. The duty on the cargo – the first such payment ever made to the United States Treasury – was $774.41.

While the payment was modest, it was the initial fiscal prop for a very young and shaky government. More was to come. In its first year of operation, the service collected over $2 million in duties. And for the next 124 years – until that moment in 1913 when the amendment authorizing the income tax was approved – customs remained a major source of revenue for the federal government. Thus the Customs Service, especially in the early years of the nation, proved the truth of that profound maxim: "the revenue of the state is the state."

As described in the strategic plan of the U.S. Customs, the agency faces five distinct strategic challenges. They are: the continued threat of narcotics smuggling, terrorists, the growth of world trade, the proliferation of trade agreements and general public resistance to increasing the budget of the federal government.

2.5.1. What do these numbers and dates mentioned in the text refer to:

124 $2 million 1913 March 4 $774.41 1789

2.5.2. Match these statements as true or false:

1. The Constitution of the USA went into effect on July 31, 1789.

2. The agency faces four strategic challenges.

3. In its first year of operation the service collected over $2 million in duties.

1. Customs remained a major source of revenue for the federal government until the income tax was approved.

5) The U.S. Customs Service was among the very first of the federal agencies to come to life.